Premieres Tuesday, December 16 on PBS, pbs.org and the PBS App
Experience the holiday classic in a new light, featuring over 100 dancers and musicians performing at the London Coliseum. Against an Edwardian London backdrop, this Nutcracker is reimagined to centralize Clara throughout the story. Set to Tchaikovsky’s iconic score, the film features choreography by English National Ballet artistic director Aaron S. Watkin and Olivier Award winner Arielle Smith. Great Performances: Nutcracker from English National Ballet premieres Tuesday, December 16 at 9/8c on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS app.
“Our Nutcracker respects the traditions and narrative beats of the classic story, but we’ve elevated it further,” said co-choreographer Arielle Smith. “There are twists and turns and new elements to keep the performers and audiences on their toes. We wanted to challenge what we perceive Nutcracker to be.I hope audiences will feel that it’s something new and fresh.”
Principal dancers include Delilah Wiggins (Clara Child), Ivana Bueno (Clara Adolescent), Junor Souza (Drosselmeyer), Francesco Gabriele Frola (Nutcracker Prince), Rhys Antoni Yeomans (Nutcracker Doll), Emma Hawes (Sugar Plum Fairy), Aitor Arrieta (Sugar Plum Cavalier), Rentaro Nakaaki (Rat King) and Anna Nevzorova (The Ice Queen). Sets and costumes are by Dick Bird with lighting by Paul Pyant. Founded in 1950 as London Festival Ballet by English dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, English National Ballet has been opening up the possibilities of ballet, to move more people in more ways, ever since.
For more than 50 years on PBS, Great Performances has provided an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. Showcasing a diverse range of artists from around the world, the series has earned 67 Emmy Awards, a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre and six Peabody Awards. The Great Performances website hosts exclusive videos, interviews, photos, full episodes and more. The series is produced by The WNET Group. Great Performances is available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.
